Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret, 1869) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in Piper species (Piperaceae) in state of Pará, Brazil

. We report the occurrence of scale insect Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret, 1869) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in two Piper species (Piperaceae). Hemiberlesia lataniae specimens were collected from leaves and stems of Piper cernuum Vell. and Piper reticulatum L., in a greenhouse, in the city of Belém, state of Pará. The species is reported for the first time within Piper species in Brazil.

The Piperaceae family is represented in Brazil by 467 species (Guimaraes et al. 2022) and hosts species of the genus Piper (Piperaceae), which that have potential medicinal, food, flavoring, ornamental, insecticidal, and spice (Piper nigrum L. [black pepper]) applications (Rodrigues et al. 2019).
Among the scale insects reported on P. nigrum in Pará, P. longivalvata is considered one of the most important pests, with its population covering a large area of the leaf blade, in addition to favoring the growth of the fungus Capnodium Mont. (Capnodiaceae) (causing sooty mold on the leaves) reducing the photosynthetic surface of the leaves and, consequently, impairing the development and decreasing the productivity of the plants (Celestino Filho et al. 2004;Lemos 2014).
In April 2022, scale insects specimens were collected during observations in native Amazonian Piper species kept in pots in a greenhouse, which are part of the Piperaceae collection of Embrapa Amazônia Oriental in the city of Belém (01°27'S; 48°30'W, 10 m), Pará state. The samples were examined under a stereomicroscope and parts of leaves with specimens of the scale insects were preserved in 70% ethanol. Species identification was based on the descriptions of morphological characteristics of adult females, and keys for separation of genera and species (Ferris 1938;Claps & Wolff 2003;Miller & Davidson 2005).
The scale insects are identified as Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret, 1869) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae). Hemiberlesia lataniae specimens were collected from Piper cernuum Vell. and Piper reticulatum L. species. The insects were present on the abaxial and adaxial surfaces of the leaves and on the stems of the plants (Fig. 1A-D), with greater abundance in P. reticulatum. On leaves, armored scale insects are concentrated at the base of the lamina on the abaxial face between and on the main veins ( Fig. 1A-B). Yellow spots were observed where the adults suck the leaves, which is related to the presence and damage caused by the diaspidid scales ( Fig. 2A-B).
According to Miller & Davidson (2005), the adult female has a rounded shield about 2 mm long. Color can range from white to light gray, or gray to brown, depending on the position on the host (leaves, smooth stems, or older stems and twigs); central to subcentral exuviae are gray, dark brown, or yellowish. The shield of the male is unknown (Ferris 1938;Claps & Wolff 2003).
The bodies of the adult H. lataniae females found in P. cernuum and P. reticulatum are oval-shaped ( Fig. 2A), with broad and prominent median lobes on the pygidium (Fig. 3A), with yellowish-white coloration and a membranous cuticle, and features very similar to those of Hemiberlesia rapax (Comstock, 1881), but distinguished mainly by the presence of circungenital glands (Fig. 3B).
Hemiberlesia lataniae is a cosmopolitan and polyphagous species, and a pest of several crops in tropical and subtropical regions, with distribution in 114 countries, in association with 120 families and 361 genera of host plants (Couturier et al. 1992;García Morales et al. 2016). In Brazil, it is distributed in the states of Amazonas, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo (Lepage 1938;Silva et al. 1968;Foldi 1988;Claps et al. 2001;Martins et al. 2022).

Scientific Note
In other Brazilian states, H. lataniae has been reported on several native and exotic hosts: Albizia sp.  (Claps et al. 2001;Claps & Wolff 2003;Wolff 2014;Wolff et al. 2014;Martins et al. 2022). According to García Morales et al. (2016), in plants of the Piperaceae family, H. lataniae has been recorded in Macropiper excelsum (Forst.) Miq. and Piper methysticum G. Forst. in New Zealand. The present study reports the armored scale insects H. lataniae in the species P. cernuum and P. reticulatum for the first time in Brazil and South America. Consequently, the species currently has a recorded occurrence in Brazil in hosts belonging to 25 botanical families (Foldi 1988;Claps et al. 2001;Claps & Wolff 2003;Wolff 2014;Wolff et al. 2014;Almeida et al. 2018;Martins et al. 2022). The species P. nigrum (black pepper) is widely cultivated in the northern Brazilian states and used as a condiment. The occurrence of H. lataniae in plants of the same genus Piper should be a source of concern for black pepper producers, as it is a polyphagous species and can start attacking crops and eventually become an important pest in the crop in the region.